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Engineering, Building, and Architecture

Not many museums collect houses. The National Museum of American History has four, as well as two outbuildings, 11 rooms, an elevator, many building components, and some architectural elements from the White House. Drafting manuals are supplemented by many prints of buildings and other architectural subjects. The breadth of the museum's collections adds some surprising objects to these holdings, such as fans, purses, handkerchiefs, T-shirts, and other objects bearing images of buildings.

The engineering artifacts document the history of civil and mechanical engineering in the United States. So far, the Museum has declined to collect dams, skyscrapers, and bridges, but these and other important engineering achievements are preserved through blueprints, drawings, models, photographs, sketches, paintings, technical reports, and field notes.

The collection was purchased by the National Museum of American History, Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, in 1983.

Custodial History

Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, now the Division of Work and Industry in 2007.

Extent

0.3 cubic feet (1 box)

Summary

Collection consists of two bound volumes of mechanical engineering laboratory reports written by Hartung while he was a student at Cornell University.

Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.
Physical Access: Use only as needed. For example: Researchers must use microfilm copy. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audiovisual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Collection located off-site storage.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in one series.
Series 1, Laboratory Reports, 1906-1907

Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: reproduction fees may apply. All duplication requests must be reviewed and approved by Archives Center staff.

Burmister, engineer and university professor, taught civil engineering at Columbia University from 1928-1963, specializing in soil mechanics and foundation engineering. He also worked as a consulting engineer beginning in 1936.

Processing Information

Collection is unprocessed.

Date

1927-1974.

Provenance

Donated to the National Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History) by Donald Burmister.

Custodial History

Transfered to the Archives Center from Division of Work and Industry, 2007.

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

The North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA) was a large-scale, transcontinental water transfer plan designed by the Ralph M. Parsons Corporation in 1964. The Parsons Corporation was founded in 1944 to provide engineering, procurement and construction services for government, petrochemical, and infrastructure clients. In the early 1960s, Parsons invested its own financial resources to study and develop a conceptual plan for NAWAPA, which would divert fresh water from Alaska to water-deficient areas of seven Canadian provinces, thirty-three U.S. states, and three Mexican states. The total projected investment was about a hundred billion dollars with construction estimated to take approximately twenty years.
Although the NAWAPA project was never realized, the Parsons Corporation (http://www.parsons.com) continues to provide engineering, construction, technical, and management services to private industries and government agencies.

Date

1964-1990

Provenance

Immediate source of acquisition unknown. Found in the Division of Engineering and Industry, now known as the Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History.

Custodial History

Transferred to the Archives Center in 2007 from the Division of Work and Industry, then known as the Division of Engineering and Industry.

Extent

0.6 cubic feet (2 boxes)

Summary

The collection contains executive reports, promotional material, correspondence, articles and publications documenting the North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA), which was a large-scale, transcontinental water transfer plan designed by the Ralph M. Parsons Corporation in 1964.

Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Existence and Location of Copies

A digital surrogate (RDVD 1052.01) of the videotape, North American Water and Power Alliance, exists.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

The collection is organized into three series.
Series 1: Plans and Studies, 1964-1989
Series 2: Correspondence, 1974-1990
Series 3: Reference, 1964-1990

Scope and Contents

The collection contains a promotional video, correspondence, plans, studies, reports, articles, newspaper clippings, and newsletters, which document the North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA), a large scale, transcontinental water transfer plan designed by the Ralph M. Parsons Corporation in 1964 to collect excess water from the northwestern part of the North American continent and distribute it to deficient areas of Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Series 1: Plans and Studies, 1964-1989, is arranged topically and contains conceptual studies, executive plans, summaries, and papers and presentations about the NAWAPA project. The conceptual plans (Volumes One, Two and Five), detail the engineering, financial, and sociogeopolitical aspects of the project, while the other materials provide overall background and context for the project's conception.
Series 2: Correspondence, 1974-1990, is arranged chronologically and contains letters and interoffice memoranda about the NAWAPA project. The contents of the letters primarily relate to efforts to gain federal government support for the NAWAPA. The majority of the correspondence was created by Joseph Volpe, Jr., Vice-President of Parsons Corporation and W.E. Leonhard, Chairman and CEO of Parsons Corporation. Correspondence from congressional representatives such as Senator Fran E. Moss (D-Utah) and Representative Harold T. (Bizz) Johnson (D-California) are present. There are some tax returns, letters and interoffice memoranda concerning the dissolution of the NAWAPA Foundation Inc., which was a subsidiary of the Parsons Corporation.
Series 3: Reference Materials, 1964-1990, is arranged topically and contains brochures, articles, publications, newspaper clippings, notes, and audio visual materials documenting the NAWAPA project and water issues. Materials from the National Water Alliance, National Democratic Policy Committee (Water from Alaska), and the Water Policy Report of the Western Governors' Association are represented. The NAWAPA promotional video tape on 1/2" VHS, circa 1964, was originally shot on 16mm color film and produced by the Ralph M. Parsons Corporation. The film depicts still images of landscapes, mostly rivers and reservoirs, and engineering projects such as dams, hydroelectric power plants and irrigation systems. The film is narrated and discusses the importance of the NAWAPA project. A digital surrogate (RDVD 1052.01) of the videotape exists.

Genre/Form

Reports

Correspondence -- 1950-2000

Videotapes

Brochures -- 1950-2000

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Creator

North American Water and Power Alliance.

Ralph M. Parsons Corporation (Pasadena, Calif.)

Topic

Lobbying

Water-power

Water transfer

Engineering -- 20th century

Conservation of natural resources

Other Finding Aids

Inventory available.

Place

Ogallala Aquifer

Great Lakes (North America)

Citation

North American Water and Power Alliance Collection, 1964-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Holton Duncan Robinson, the youngest son of Ichabod Harvey and Isabelle (McLeod) Robinson, was born in Massena, New York, on February 7, 1863. Directly after graduating St. Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1886, he worked as a chain man for the civil engineering firm Buck and McNulty.
When the association between Buck and McNulty ended, Robinson continued his vocation with Buck and worked on computations and drawings for various bridges, including the Driving Park Avenue Bridge over the Genesee River at Rochester. Robinson was in charge of many aspects of New York bridge design and construction over the next several years, including the Williamsburg Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. He became chief engineer of the Glyndon Contracting Company in 1907 and designed the footbridge, machinery, and plant used in the construction of previously unseen 21-inch cables. Later in his career, he went on to build cables 30 inches in diameter. In 1910, he resigned as chief engineer of the company and built a bridge in Massena Center, New York, before continuing work on the Manhattan Bridge.
Robinson began work with Mackenzie and Mann in October of 1912 and worked as a bridge engineer consultant for the Canadian Northern Railway Company before resigning in 1914. During World War I, Robinson was employed by the Bureau of Yards and Docks, U.S. Navy, as a supervising engineer on plant extension work for war programs. He remained with the department until December 1919, when he joined forces with Daniel E. Moran and William H. Yates.
In 1920, David B. Steinman, a previous business acquaintance, offered Robinson a position as a partner in an engineering firm. The firm of Robinson and Steinman completed many notable bridge engagements during its 25 years, including design and construction of bridges across the country as well as in Canada, Bolivia, and Brazil. The men were also involved in the design for bridges in Australia, Germany, Spain, and Denmark.
Robinson's inventions included the hydraulically-operated cable-squeezing machine, electrically-operated cable-wrapping machine, flat-band seizings, and a simplified version of cable anchorage. He also helped to develop the FlorianÃ³polis type of suspension bridge as well as a method of preventing aerodynamic instability. Because of Robinson's additions to the field, the time it takes to build suspension bridges has been greatly reduced. He became a Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in January 1929.
Robinson remained active in the bridge construction field until his death on May 7, 1945. He and his wife Frank Brown had two children, daughter Mary Olivia and son Allan McLeod.

Business papers, patents, and photographs of bridges documenting the work of Holton Duncan Robinson, world-renowned engineer in suspension bridge cable design and construction.

Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

The collection is organized into one series.
Series 1, Personal Papers, 1889-1938

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the personal papers and photographs of Holton Duncan Robinson, world famous engineer in suspension bridge cable design and construction. Highlights are his business correspondence, an 1889 notebook containing calculations, and five original patents. The collection also contains numerous photographs, some of a personal nature, but mostly negatives, photographs, and cyanotypes that document bridges and the process of bridge construction, labeled with location and date. While there are many more negatives than photographs, the numbered negatives match with the numbered photographs. Also included are three prints depicting the Waldo-Hancock Bridge in Maine, the Mount Hope Bridge in Rhode Island, and the Canadian Crossing Thousand Islands Bridge. The Robinson family seemed to have used the prints as Christmas cards. Additional background information on Holton Duncan Robinson, including several in-depth biographies and career contributions is also included among the materials.

Genre/Form

Books

Cyanotypes

Clippings

Photographs -- 1900-1950

Correspondence -- 20th century

Notebooks

Patents

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Rice was a consulting engineer and professor of engineering at Newark College of Engineering, 1928-1936, and at North Carolina State University, 1937-1956.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Don Darroch, 1989.

Date

1915 - 1954

Related Materials

The Archives Center also holds collection #308, the Robert B. Rice Film Collection, 1936-1945. In addition, there is a small group of Rice's papers, primarily concerned with his academic career, in the Archives of North Carolina State University at Raleigh.

Provenance

Collection donated by Robert B. Rice, October, 1972.

Custodial History

Transferred to the Archives Center from Engineering and Industry, January 1989.

The collection is divided into seven series.
Series 1: Indexes and directories
Series 2: R.B. Rice professional and academic material
Series 3; Diesel engines (by manufacturer)
Series 4: Electric utility generator units
Series 5: Diesel components and technical problems
Series 6: Fuels and lubricants
Series 7: Reference materials

Scope and Contents

The collection contains personal papers and correspondence, c. 1946 1953, of Robert B. Rice, as well as publications about diesel engines, their components and technical problems, dating from 1915 1954. It also includes academic material: class notes, examination questions, and theses required for the masters degree. There are directories of manufacturers of diesel engines, both foreign and domestic, and copies of brochures and technical manuals describing their products. Diesel engine applications in road transportation, railroads, electrical generation, ships, and aircraft are described in numerous brochures and published articles. Technical articles on diesel fuels (including coal) and lubricants are also included. There are numerous papers on other types of internal combustion engines.
Included are specifications, parts lists, instruction books, design data, pamphlets, test data, and drawings for American and foreign diesel engines, parts, and accessories, 1936 1947; research reports, trade literature, facts sheets, articles, test data, catalogs, and handbooks on disel engines for railroad, aircraft, and marine use, 1926 1967; diesel engine charts, 1943 1945; and materials on metals, fuel lubrication, jet propulsion, steam engines, turbines, and thermodynamic and heat power problems.
The collection is arranged into seven series. Series 1, Indexes and Directories, consists primarily of catalogues of diesel engines. Series 2 is composed of Rice's Professional and Academic Material. Series 3, Diesel Engines, consists of information on manufacturers of diesel engines; this information is sub divided into U.S. and foreign manufacturers and it is arranged alphabetically. Series 4 -6 provide information on Electric Utility Generator Units, Diesel Components and Technical Problems, and Fuels and Lubricants. Series 7, Reference Materials, is divided into Files and Blueprints, Manuals and Publications, and Design Drawings and Technical Data for the DZ 710 Aircraft Diesel.

Genre/Form

Personal papers -- 20th century

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Author

Rice, Robert B., 1900-1976

Collector

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Topic

Diesel motor

Engineers -- 1910-1960

Internal combustion engines

Engineering -- 1910-1960

Citation

Robert B. Rice Papers, 1915-1954, Archives Center, National Museumof American History

Rice was a consulting engineer and a professor of engineering at Newark College of Engineering, 1928-1936, and North Carolina State University, 1937-1956.

Processing Information

Processed by Archives Center, NMAH staff.

Date

1936-1945

Provenance

Robert B. Rice.

Custodial History

Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Engineering and Industry, June 23, 1988.

Extent

2 cubic feet

15 motion picture films (black and white, sound)

Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Scope and Contents

Films depict U.S. Navy personnel carrying out maintenance and repair operations on diesel engines. The films were made under the supervision of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics for Bureau of Ships. 400-500 feet in length, with a voice-over commentary on technical aspects of the work on Bessemer, General Motors, and International diesel engines.

Genre/Form

Motion pictures (visual works) -- 1930-1950

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Author

Rice, Robert B., 1900-1976

Collector

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Names

Newark College of Engineering

North Carolina State University

United States. Navy

Topic

Mechanical engineering

Marine engineering

Engineering -- 1910-1960

Repairing

Diesel motor

Engineers -- 1910-1960

Citation

Robert B. Rice Film Collection, 1936-1945, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

Carruthers, George R.

Biographical / Historical

Dr. George Carruthers was born in 1939 and grew up in Milford, Ohio and Chicago's South Side. Carruthers received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Illinois in 1961, M.S. Physics in 1962, and his Ph.D in aeronautical and astronomical engineering in 1964. After receiving his Ph.D in 1964, Carruthers joined the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Space Science Division where he is now Senior Astrophysicist. Along with William Conway, another scientist, Carruthers developed the lunar surface ultraviolet camera and spectrograph used on the moon by Apollo 16 in 1972. The camera was used to take ultraviolet pictures of the Earth during the Apollo 16 space mission. It was the first camera to take pictures of the upper levels of the earth's atmosphere and to show that hydrogen exists in outer space.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Alison Oswald, July 14, 1997.

Date

February 22, 1996.

Provenance

Collection donated by National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution Dept of History, and The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention Innovation, 1997.

Ownership and Custodial History

Created by the Innovative Lives Program of the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation on February 22, 1996. Transferred to the Archives Center July 8, 1997.

This video history consists of original, master and reference videos documenting a children's lecture program by George R. Carruthers, a physicist and inventor. Carruthers invented the Far Ultra-Violet Camera (FUVCAM).

Genre/Form

Lectures -- 1990-2000

Videotapes -- 1990-2000

Rights

All rights transferred to Museum in Deed of Gift.

Creator

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

Carruthers, George R.

Names

Naval Research Laboratory (U.S.)

Topic

Space photography

Physics -- 20th century

Inventions -- 20th century

Inventors -- 20th century

Cameras -- 20th century

Engineering -- 20th century

Astronomy -- 20th century

Astrophysics -- 20th century

Astronautics in astronomy -- 20th century

Astronomical photography -- 20th century

Aeronautics -- 20th century

Astronautical instruments -- 20th century

Ultraviolet spectrometry

Spectrography -- 20th century

Citation

George Carruthers Innovative Lives Presentation, February 22, 1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

This railroad was chartered in 1833 to provide low-cost transportation from the Schuylkill and Mahanoy anthracite coal fields in eastern Pennsylvania to Philadelphia. Main line from Philadelphia to Pottsville opened 1842. Reading expanded by acquiring other railroads, and by 1869 had monopoly of coal traffic from Schuylkill anthracite region.
Expansion accelerated when Franklin B. Gowen became president (1869) and attempted to dominate entire anthracite trade. Purchased Schuylkill Canal (1870) to eliminate competition for coal trade; then organized the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company in 1871 to purchase and operate coal mines; secured over 40 percent of U.S. anthracite reserves, but debt incurred led railroad to bankruptcy and receivership (1880). Gowen's reckless style drove the Reading into second receivership (1886), and he was forced to resign.
Gowen's Successor, Archibald A. McLeod, tried to increase company control over anthracite trade (1892-1893), then control of several New England railroads. The Reading went bankrupt again and McLeod was ousted. In a reorganization (1896), the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad and the Coal & Iron Company became properties of the Reading Company, a holding company. Later additions to system were infrequent and largely confined to short branches and improvements inalignment. Due to anti-trust proceedings, company divested mining subsidiary (1923) and merged wholly owned railroad companies into an operating company. Acquired Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad 1963, went bankrupt in early 1970s, and conveyed portions of its lines to Conrail (1976). The reorganized Reading Company retains real estate and other non-rail holdings.

Tracings transferred from the Division of Transportation, June 12, 1986. Other material transferred from the Division of Engineering and Industry, August 1986.

Extent

18 cubic feet (55 boxes)

Summary

Collection of engineering reports and correspondence from the Engineering Department of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company. The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad was most used for the transportation of anthracite coal within Pennsylvania from 1833 through the early 1970s.

Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

The collection is divided into two series.
Series 1: Letterpress Copybooks
Series 2: Reports and Miscellaneous papers

Scope and Contents

Primarily outgoing correspondence from the Engineering Department of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company, the remainder being engineering reports and other miscellaneous papers.
Series 1: Letterpress Copybooks consists of 219 volumes from various engineers, each with own index (1865-1892): were generated by Chief Engineer, Assistant Chief Engineer, various resident engineers, other lower-level engineers, and the Chief Road-Master. Bulk of copybooks created by William H. Bines and Henry K. Nichols during long careers with the Philadelphia & Reading. Other volumes contain letters and reports by Charles W. Buckholz, Charles E. Byers, William Lorenz, and others. Correspondence covers all aspects of the engineering operations of the railroad, much of it at highest levels, being addressed to the Presidents of the Reading. Also includes one letterbook from John E. Wooten (1865), Superintendent.
Series 2: Reports of Chief Engineer to Auditor, 1908-1910; structural design calculation notebooks, 1901-1935; right of way deeds, 1903; and tracings of assorted machine parts.

Genre/Form

Right of way deeds

Reports

Letterpress copybooks

Mechanical drawings

Estimates

Financial statements

Circular letters

Bills

Accident reports

Correspondence -- 1930-1950

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collector

Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Creator

Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Co.

Collector

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Names

Atlantic City Railroad

Collector

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Names

Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad

Reading Belt Railroad

Collector

Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Names

Bines, William H.

Boggs, George B.

Buckholz, Charles W.

Byers, Charles E.

Chamberlain, E.C.

Davis, N.M.

Gowen, Franklin B.

Jamison, Robert

Keim, George DeB

Lorenz, William

Manning, Charles P.

Nichols, Henry K.

Rice, George

Richardson, F.E.

Royers, John H.

Steele, J. Dutton

Thompson, J.W.

Whitney, E.S.

Wilson, H.T.

Wootten, John E.

Yarington, T.O.

Zacharias, H.C.

Topic

Railroad accidents

Railroad engineering

Railroads -- New Jersey

Railroads -- Buildings and structures

Coal mines and mining -- Pennsylvania

Coal -- Pennsylvania

Railroad companies -- Pennsylvania

Engineering

Engineers

Railroad engineers

Coal -- Transportation

Anthracite coal industry

Railroads -- Surveying

Railroad tracks

Railroads -- Maintenance and repair

Railroads -- Signalling

Transportation

Railroads -- Pennsylvania

Place

Lackawanna County (Pa.)

Luzerne County (Pa.)

Cressona (Pa.)

Harrisburg (Pa.)

Norristown (Pa.)

Philadelphia (Pa.)

New Jersey

Sumerton (Pa.)

Cheltenham (Pa.)

Sunbury (Pa.)

Reading (Pa.)

Trenton (N.J.)

Schuylkill County (Pa.)

Pennsylvania

Citation

Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Adventures in Science was a radio program produced by Science Service that aired on CBS from 1938-1958. Each program, hosted by Watson Davis, director of Science Service, featured science news and an interview with a guest scientist. Science Service began radio programming in 1924 and Adventures in Science evolved from Science Service's Science News of the Week, an earlier foray into radio broadcasting. The program's intent was to fulfil Science Service's mission to popularize science and make complex topics and concepts accessible to varied audiences. By 1955 and 1956 when the episodes in the collection were created, the shows were 15 minutes in length and were recorded on audiotape, taking advantage of relatively recent developments in sound recording technology.

Collection is open for research. Only reference copies may be used. No reference copies exist for this collection.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically in one series.
Series 1, Radio Programs, 1955-1956

Scope and Contents

Original audio tapes produced for the CBS public affairs radio show Adventures in Science, hosted by Watson Davis, director of Science Service and editor of Science News Letter. Mr. Davis interviewed guests ranging from psychologists to an engineer from an air conditioner manufacturing company.

Genre/Form

Interviews -- 1950-1970

Audiotapes

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Creator

Davis, Watson, 1896-1967

Science Service

Columbia Broadcasting System.

Source

Medical Sciences, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Former owner

Medical Sciences, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Names

Allen, George, Sir

Baum, William A.

Brode, Wallace R. (Associate Director)

Cecil, Russell, Doctor (chemist)

Davis, Francis W. (consultant engineer)

Foster, William C. (president)

Gerard, George (Assistant Director)

Grant, Walter A. (vice president)

Middleton, William S. (Chief Medical Director)

Namias, Jerome, Chief

O'Neill, Francis (Director)

Page, Irvine (president)

Sanford, Fillmore (Executive Secretary)

Strom, Gordon H. (aeronautical engineer)

Whitcomb, Richard T. (Aeronautical Research Scientist)

Topic

Engineering -- 20th century

Chemistry -- Radio programs

Science -- Radio programs

Radio programs

Citation

Adventures In Science Radio Programs, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Matthew Mawhinney, a graduate of Carnegie Institute of Technology and an engineer specializing in industrial furnace design and operation, collected this material during his career with Salem Engineering Co. (Salem, Ohio) and later as a consulting engineer.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Don Darroch, October 1986

Date

1917-1978

Provenance

Collection donated by Mrs. Matthew H. Mawhinney, 1978.

Custodial History

Transferred from the Division of Engineering and Industries to the Archives Center on August 7, 1986.

Extent

1 cubic foot (3 boxes)

Summary

Matthew Mawhinney, an engineer specializing in industrial furnace design and operation, collected this material during his career with Salem Engineering Co. and later as a consulting engineer.

Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series.
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Photographs
Series 3: Publications

Scope and Contents

The collection includes several engineering textbooks authored by Mr. Mawhinney and others. Also included is correspondence of Mr. Mawhinney with professional engineering groups relating to articles in professional journals and presentations to meetings of professional societies. This collection also includes correspondence with numerous industrial corporations and many photographs of furnaces and other industrial equipment.

Genre/Form

Correspondence -- 1930-1950

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collector

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Creator

Mawhinney, Matthew (engineer)

Collector

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.

Names

Salem Engineering Co

Topic

Furnaces

Engineering

Place

Ohio

Salem (Ohio)

Citation

Matthew Mawhinney Industrial Furnace Collection, 1917-1978, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Clyde E. Learned (1885-?) was the senior highway engineer for the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, District Three, during the years 1919-1939. He was later a design engineer for the Public Roads Administration, Division Nine, in 1949.

Processing Information

Collection processed by David Stevens, 1986.

Date

1949 - 1949

1913-1939

Provenance

immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Custodial History

Transferred from the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering to the Archives Center, August 7, 1986.

Extent

0.4 cubic feet (2 boxes)

Summary

Clyde E. Learned (1885-?) was the senior highway engineer for the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, District Three, during the years 1919-1939. He was later a design engineer for the Public Roads Administration, Division Nine, in 1949.

Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Scope and Contents

Material prepared for the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads relating to highway construction, mostly in Colorado but also Wyoming and New Mexico. Includes construction reports on the Monarch Pass Road (1919), and the Berthoud Pass Project (1927); maintenance and post-construction operations reports (1934-35); general reports of day labor operations (1931-39); and a report on a proposed snow removal system for Yellowstone National Park (1949). All of these reports include charts and photographs.

Genre/Form

Reports

Photographs -- 1900-1950

Charts

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Savage was a civil engineer, and Chief Designing Engineer in charge of all designing for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 1924-1945.

Processing Information

Collection processed by David Stevens, 1986

Date

1944

Provenance

Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Ownership and Custodial History

Transferred from the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, 8/7/86.

Extent

0.15 cubic feet (1 box)

Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Scope and Contents

Materials concerning dams, power plants, and materials testing in China, for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It consists of a bound volume of preliminary reports, with maps, prepared for China's National Resources Commission by John L. Savage, consulting engineer. Includes a report on the Yangtze River Gorge Project (11/1944) and several other Chinese projects: Ta-Tu-Ho and Ma-Pien-Ho projects (9/1944), Upper Ming-Kiang and Kwan-Hsien projects (9-11/1944), Lung-Chi-Ho projects (9-11/1944), and the Tang-Lang-Chuan projects (1-3/1945).

Genre/Form

Reports -- 1940-1970

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection of materials concerning bridge construction in California collected by James Gallagher.

Processing Information

Collection processed by David Stevens, 1986

Date

1924-1931

Provenance

Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Ownership and Custodial History

Transferred from the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, 8/7/86.

Extent

0.3 cubic feet (1 box)

Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Scope and Contents note

Materials relating to bridge construction in California. Includes a set of drawings for the San Joaquin River Bridge, Mossdale, California (1924), a California Division of Highways Bridge Department Manual (1931), and booklets by the California Highway Commission containing contracts and specifications for the construction of bridges on state highways (1925-26).

Genre/Form

Booklets

Drawings

Contracts

Specifications

Manuals

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

Interviewee

Judd, Michael

MacCready, Paul, 1925-

Biographical / Historical

Born September 25, 1925 in New Haven, Connecticut. He began flying in his teens and received formal flight training from the Navy during World War II. After the war, MacCready earned a physics degree from Yale University and a doctorate in aeronautical engineering from California Institute of Technology.

Processing Information

Collection unprocessed.

Date

November 8, 2002

Provenance

Created by the Innovative Lives Program of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, National Museum of American History.

Custodial History

The collection was transferred from the Lemelson Center to the Archives Center on June 24, 2003.

Extent

0.25 cubic feet (1 box)

Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Existence and Location of Copies

Series 1: Original Videos, was digitized in 2015. See repository for details.

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Creator

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

Interviewee

Judd, Michael

MacCready, Paul, 1925-

Topic

Solar energy -- 20th century

Gliders (Aeronautics)

Physics -- 20th century

Engineering -- 20th century

Aeronautics -- 20th century

Citation

Paul MacCready Innovative Lives Presentation, November 8, 2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

The Bartlett Hayward Company of Baltimore, Maryland, was founded in 1840 as Hayward and Friend, stove manufacturers. The company eventually expanded into the foundry, machinery, erection, and engineering fields and began manufacture of gas holders in 1876. The company merged with Koppers Company in 1937.

Processing Information

Collection is unprocessed.

Date

1882-1950

Provenance

Donated by Charles Ferner of the Kopper Company, circa 1977.

Ownership and Custodial History

Transferred from Division of Work and Industry, 2006.

Extent

6 cubic feet

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

Arrangement: By type of material.

Scope and Contents note

These records of the Bartlett Hayward Company deal chiefly with the manufacture, erection, and sale of gas holders. Included are record books of drawings, 1882-1906, 1912, 1918; design calculation books; 1904-1935; trade literature, 1945; order books, 1920-1921; order progress reports, 1926-1929, 1946-1950; specifications, calculations and data; notes; shipping records; records of drawing costs; lists of materials needed; a card file listing owner, location, and dimensions of gas holders built by the company, 1883-1946; a record of employee injuries, 1929; and photographs of coupling engines, gas holders and their erection, gas works, and plants.

Genre/Form

Trade catalogs

Tracings

Correspondence -- 19th century

Drawings -- 1860-1890

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Nicholas C, Mandragos was born on the Greek island of Symi in 1896, was educated at the Salvago Professional School in Alexandria, Egypt, at New York University and at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. He received a bachelor of science degree in engineering at the latter institution plus 21 points of graduate studies. After being employed as a structural engineer by New York Central RR, 1926 1937, Mandragos was employed in research during World War II at the War and Navy Depts. He also lectured on photoelasticity at George Washington University 1943 1949 and was an associate professor there 1947 1949; later he was a consulting engineer.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Don Darroch, September 9, 1993

Date

1927-1959

Provenance

This material was donated to NMAH, together with several instruments and models relating to materials testing, in October 1992 by Mr. Mandragos' widow, Frieda Mandragos.

Custodial History

Papers were transferred to the Archives Center from the Divisionof Work and Industry on April 15, 1993.

Extent

2 cubic feet (7 boxes)

Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

Collection is arranged into one series.

Scope and Contents

The collection consists almost entirely of notes Mandragos used as the basis for lectures to his engineering classes. They cover various problem areas: stress analysis of structures, strength of materials, hydraulics and other technical aspects of structural design. There are also a few notes Mandragos made as a student in the 1920s and 1930s. The notes are carefully hand printed with detailed technical drawings, sometimes in photocopy. They are arranged alphabetically by subject, usually with dates.

Genre/Form

Instructional materials

Lecture notes

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Creator

Mandragos, Nicholas C., (engineer), 1896-

Mandragos, Frieda

Source

Engineering, Division of (NMAH), Smithsonian Institution

Former owner

Engineering, Division of (NMAH), Smithsonian Institution

Topic

Hydraulic engineering -- 1920-1960

Concrete -- 1920-1960

Strength of materials -- 1920-1960

Tolerance (Engineering) -- 1920-1960

Engineers -- 1920-1960

Engineering -- Study and teaching -- 1920-1960

Structural engineering -- 1920-1960

Citation

Nicholas C. Mandragos Papers, 1927-1959, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Frieda Mandragos.

Separated Materials

Instruments and models are housed in the the Division of Work and Industry.

The Washington Society of Engineers was formed in 1905 to represent local engineers in the Washington (DC), Virginia, and Maryland areas, as well as serve as a resource for sharing ideas and networking with others within the engineering profession. Membership was open to all persons actively involved in the practice of any branch of engineering. The Society became part of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and was also affiliated with the Washington Academy of Sciences. Other engineering societies were able to form due to the assistance of the Washington Society of Engineers such as the engineers including the Engineers Joint Council, the Washington Academy of Sciences, the DC Council of Engineering and Architectural Societies, and the American Association of Engineering Societies. The Washington Society of Engineers was absorbed into different national professional societies, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), both of which have DC metro area branches.

Transferred from the Division of Work and Industry to the Archives Center in 2007.

Extent

13.1 cubic feet (30 boxes)

Summary

The Washington Society of Engineers was founded in 1905 with the objective to advance engineering knowledge and maintain a high professional standard among members. Membership was open to all individuals who were actively engaged in any branch of the engineering profession. The records contain membership records, meeting minutes and reports, financial records, correspondence, projects and events details, as well as research documents.

Type

Archival materials

Collection descriptions

Arrangement

The collection is divided into five series.
Series 1: Membership Records, 1905-1985
Series 2: Meeting Minutes and Reports, 1905-1980
Series 3: Financial Records,1906-1984
Series 4: Correspondence, 1928-1980
Series 5: Project, Events, and Research Documents, 1931-1983

Scope and Contents

The collection documents work conducted by the Washington Society of Engineers. A large portion of the papers are from the offices of Charles E. Remington, former treasurer of the Society. The collection includes administrative records, organizational information, financial records, business records such as meeting minutes, general correspondence, reprints, records of programs and events, academic papers, and reference files about members and activities of the Society.

Genre/Form

Correspondence -- 20th century

Business records -- 20th century

Minutes

Reports

Financial records -- 20th century

Ledgers (account books)

Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.